Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Snuggles: He's Happy And Healthy Now

Snuggles Tells His Story

"For 13 years, I took care of my family. I lived up to my name and snuggled with them when they needed reassurance and comfort. And I was kind and welcoming to all the cats who came into our home after me. I still don't know what happened, or how we all ended up in cages at a shelter. They said they were tired of cats, but how could that be? We were quiet. We used our litter boxes. We never scratched the furniture. And I snuggled with them when they wanted me to, even if I wasn't in the mood. How could they be tired of us, especially me?

"The Howard County Cat Club got all of us out of the shelter. We were happy to be together again, but I was very sick. I had a terrible upper respiratory infection, and I spent the first week I was in the Howard County Cat Club's group home curled up on a bed just trying to sleep. My friend Cloudy Girl never left my side, and I was so grateful she was there to comfort me when I was feeling so miserable.

"Finally, the URI was gone, and I was really beginning to enjoy life. I found a comfy perch on a cat tree that I loved. I could stay there for hours, looking out the window and soaking up the sun. Then my mouth started to hurt. I couldn't eat. The pain was so bad, I couldn't even yawn!

"It turned out that I have stomatitis, a painful and dangerous mouth infection. I'm taking medicine, but I still feel so awful. I'll be going to a dentist soon to have all of my teeth removed. Odd as it may sound, I can't wait!

"I realize that not many people want to adopt a cat my age. And I know, too, that most people want to adopt one cat, not three! But Sheba and Cloudy Girl and I are devoted friends, and we want so much to always live together. We've talked it over, and we've decided we'd rather stay in the group home for life than be separated. The thought of never having a family again does make us sad, but we'll be okay. I just wish this awful pain would go away. Maybe my heart would ache less, if my mouth didn't hurt, too."